Kate Middleton Photo Scandal: Photographer Named, To Be Arrested

Britain's Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, arrive at a reception in aid of the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal at St James's Palace, London, November 10, 2011.

The photographer responsible for taking semi-nude photographs of Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, is set to be arrested over the scandal it has been claimed.

Free Sign Up CP Newsletter!

Related

The photographer, whose identity has not yet been released to the public, will reportedly be arrested by French authorities in the coming days over the topless photos. Some critics suspect that the culprit may be French photographer Valerie Suau, who openly admitted to taking photos of Middleton but denied releasing the inappropriate ones, according to MailOnline.com.

The photos in question were taken in September at Chateau d'Autet, a private estate in France reportedly owned by the Queen's nephew. Middleton was sunbathing outside while on vacation with her husband Prince William when the unsuspecting photographer began taking the intrusive photos from hundreds of meters away using a long range lens.

"A name has been offered,' a source close to the case reportedly told MailOnline.com. "The photographer is expected to be held for [questioning] imminently."

The photos, which understandably upset Middleton, were almost immediately sold and published in France's Closer magazine followed by an Italian newspaper. They were eventually banned in France after Middleton and Prince William, both 30, won a historic injunction preventing Closer magazine from further publication.

The court ruling specifically ordered that Closer magazine, whose editor was openly defiant about her decision to publish the photos, must remove all of the photos from its website and the publication is now prohibited from selling them. In the event that Closer does sell or publish the images, the magazine will receive a fine of 10,000 euros for each violation.

It is unclear what, if any, charges the unnamed photographer is facing although new reports claim that he/she could be jailed for up to one year and fined GBP36,000 for breach of privacy relating to the photos.

The news follows previous claims that Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, was seething with rage over the scandalous photos. He has reportedly wanted the photographer jailed since day one.

"I want them jailed," Prince William was quoted as telling friends when news of the topless photos first broke out according to Radar Online.